The Toulouse Chamber Orchestra, conducted by José Serebrier and with soloist Carole FarleyThe Bermuda FestivalSaturday 18 FebruaryCity Hall TheatreI had the pleasure of seeing the Toulouse Chamber Orchestra, conducted under the baton of José Serebrier, for two nights in a row - I say pleasure because on both evenings they produced near-perfect performances.Their second evening at the Bermuda Festival, on Saturday, must have been the more personally taxing for Mr Serebrier, as the Chamber Orchestra was not only performing a selection of his own pieces and arrangements, but the featured artist was his wife, soprano Carole Farley. Despite the pressure, the concert went beautifully and I am only sad that there is not a third event to attend.The rendition of ‘The Romanian Dances' by Bartók in the previous concert was beautiful, and so who could help but be excited to find Edvard Grieg - another nationalist composer with a focus on Norwegian folk - music on the programme? Indeed, the perfect unison and excellent dynamic control achieved by the 11 musicians did the compositions perfect justice. The opening ‘Holberg Suite' showcased a number of different playing techniques and difficult rhythms that were all executed easily. In this title, there was a lot going on orchestrally, and they performed it without seeming busy or uncontrolled. The difficulty in pieces such as these is in finding the songful timbre despite the sometimes discordant lines, such as those also heard in the ‘Two Elegiac Melodies' and the ‘Songs' - nonetheless the gorgeous musical quality of this Chamber group overcame these potential pitfalls easily.Ms Farley performed the selection of ‘Songs' in German with only a little support from the orchestra. The first two were as arranged by Mr Serebrier, while the final piece was all Grieg. Her dynamic tone was improved from her Thursday evening solo performance, and of particular note was the ‘Mother's Lament', although the pitch was still not always pure, even here. While she was not at the height of her powers on this trip to Bermuda, her presence on stage loosened what was, until now, a very strict keeping of time - and to great effect.Mr Serebrier's compositions were interesting and busy texturally. The extremes were reached in the busy, jabbing Presto of ‘Symphony No 3'. The very high notes of the violin are offset by the lovely tone of the cellos and violas. The main line was held by a number of instruments, but I can happily report that there was not a single crack in the armour - each section held their own superbly. The lamentful ‘Andante' must be one of the most haunting compositions of the modern era, possibly best exemplified by the disembodied, wordless and moaning voice heard offstage and the single, unsettlingly high violin note with which the piece ended.The ‘Tango in Blue' was particularly enjoyable as it gave the second violins and violas a chance to shine - and shine they did! Within the framework of the familiar rhythms and sounds of the tango there was still room for variation and exploration, leading the audience to wait excitedly for the next main phrase. There was a particularly lovely ‘conversation' between the violins and cellos, and exchange of thematic line between the instrumental sections here.In great contrast was Giacomo Puccini's ‘Chrysantemi'. Written in one night, this romantic but dark piece was accented by purposefully slurred notes under the theme. The often-repeated phrases were expressed with such variation and feeling as to maintain interest. This piece was especially pleasing to the ear and sensitively performed.As with all well-known pieces, it was interesting to see what the group did with Mozart's ‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusik', and they played this with some flourish. Although all of the musicians were completely professional, certain instrumental sections were clearly enjoying themselves, smiling and performing with vivace. The continuous line held in the second movement was done very well and while the Rondo Allegro initially felt a little fast, it was sustained magnificently.All in all, I found the group faithful in their interpretations of the selections. Their abilities absolutely shone as they were challenged in a number of arenas - but never once was their quality compromised or their sound imperfect. The energy and attention of the conductor was always apparent - there was no imbalance and an understanding of every part. I think that I can safely say that the audience enjoyed the evening as much as I did - there were three encores!José Serebrier, one of the most recorded classical artists in history, is renowned for his role as conductor and composer, performing with many of the most important contemporary musical groups and winning many prestigious awards. Carole Farley has likewise broken many barriers in her career and her work has including numerous recordings. Both have been nominated for Grammys, with Mr Serebrier winning one. The Toulouse Chamber Orchestra is a prominent French group that has travelled the world, performing for over half a decade.